


Her Idiots

by renegadees



Category: Agent Carter (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-19
Updated: 2016-03-19
Packaged: 2018-05-27 17:07:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6292726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/renegadees/pseuds/renegadees
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They're idiots, but dammit they're her idiots and she's declared herself responsible for them. No matter how hard she'd like to hit them both over the head.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Her Idiots

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this after 2x02 I think and only recently went back to reread it and finish it up, deciding it didn't totally suck I thought I'd publish it.
> 
> This is my first time writing for Agent Carter, or at all to do with ao3 tbh, so be gentle with me?

She had been under the impression that federal agents didn't have time to be idiots. With the outrageous circumstances that they faced everyday it wasn't like they could afford to be. But dammit these two could multitask, and if some higher power decided that Rose was to play cupid, then she sure as hell would.

Yes they're idiots, but they're _her_ idiots.

-

When she witnessed Daniel's lapse in control she knew she'd seen the right signs, that she wasn't fighting a losing battle. He hadn't been this distressed since his first month in L.A, when he'd heard Peggy'd been injured. According to Thompson it'd been barely a scratch as she'd side stepped the knife just in time, but Rose could still hear the echoes of the empty coffee mug as it'd smashed against a wall and Daniel's frustrated yelling as he'd unloaded his anger onto Chief Thompson.

_"Chief Sousa has a special kind of worry for her."_

-

The next few days were filled with tight smiles and tired looks. Peggy clearly wasn't sleeping and Daniel was running his team into the ground trying to find out just what the hell was going on in this town. No one knew if the LAPD could be trusted anymore, and those who possibly could be were running covert operations that the SSR weren't privy to. Daniel was running on adrenaline, Peggy was running on bad office coffee and Rose was running on everyone else's fumes, which left her somewhat grumpy by the time she clocked out.

Violet stopped off with new batches of cookies, offerings that Peggy and Daniel awkwardly accepted. Because although they both clearly adored this woman - she was just so God damned hard to hate - whatever feelings they convinced themselves they were over, they weren't.

When Violet left with a wave to Rose, a hug for Peggy and a kiss for Daniel, Rose rolled her eyes and sighed.

Oh, her idiots.

-

She was checking the office - the secret one - to make sure she wasn't about to lock anyone in (after the 2am scathing phone call she got from Samberly three months into the opening of the L.A office, she was unwilling to repeat such an incident) when she'd noticed Peggy standing by the window, clutching her jacket to her chest. She wasn't the first to be looking pensively out that particular window, and until everyone decided they were going to work on their lives more then they did their cases, she probably wouldn't be the last.

She made her way over, being quiet enough to not interrupt the agents thoughts but loud enough to not sneak up on her as the last thing she wanted to happen was to cause injury to herself because she startled the agent. She had her surfing class in the morning and she wasn't too sure a spinal injury would fair well against the waves.

"Peggy?" She calls out quietly.

"Hmm?" She hums in acknowledgment.

They stand there for a couple of minutes, Rose looks at Peggy and Peggy looks out the window. It's a comfortable silence, peaceful. One that was appreciated by the both of them.

But Rose wasn't a naturally silent person, and although she was so far enjoying the non-meddlesome part of her cupid duties, she's never been one for tact. So with all the gentleness and subtlety of dancing elephants she asks bluntly, "You got something on your mind, Peg?"

It only earns her a side eye and a raised eyebrow.

"How about a some _one_?" 

"Is there something you'd like to say, Rose?" Peggy asks quietly, her gaze returning to the window.

"You love him."

"Love might be a strong word." She scoffs.

"What word would you use then?"

"I don't know." She answers honestly.

"He still loves you," Rose offers up hopefully.

"I doubt that," she mumbles bitterly, "It's safe to say I'll be making Chief Thompson's life a living hell when I go back."

She huffs out a watery laugh, although there's no tears in sight and even if there were Peggy would be too stubborn to let them fall.

"When you go back?" Because what? She couldn't go back, no now, not when Rose was starting to get an idea about how to fix what these two had mucked up.

"I'm not exactly Hollywood material," she answers as she turns around, "this was only ever temporary, Daniel needed an extra agent and I was tricked into coming out to help, once this case is closed I'll be sent back to New York." She sighs, rubbing a spot between her eyes where a headache must be forming.

Rose reaches out to grab her wrist, pulling it away from her brow and walking backwards while dragging Peggy with her, "Come on, I have a bottle of bourbon that I can practically hear screaming your name."

Peggy smiles, too tired to argue and follows her out of the building.

Rose comes to the conclusion that for someone who had the intelligence to conduct her own investigation and run circles around the men at the office last year, Peggy Carter is incredibly dense when it comes to matters of the heart.

Idiot.

-

Two nights later she finds Daniel in his office nursing a whisky and decides that she's not getting paid enough to sit through go nowhere auditions as-well-as playing therapist to the chief and his almost-maybe-possible-soon-to-be sweetheart. At the end of all this  _she's_ the one that's going to need a stiff drink.

She sighs before walking over and knocking on his door, intent on saying goodnight and leaving him to his thoughts. He clearly had more then Peggy on his mind right now.

"I think I screwed up." He says by way of acknowledgment, not looking up from his drink.

So she wasn't going to make an easy getaway. She steps into the room and towards one of the two chairs placed in front of his desk, unceremoniously dropping her bag and coat down before dragging the other chair to sit in front of him where he was sagged pathetically into the couch.

"Yeah, you did." Acceptance was the last step and she wasn't going to set him back by denying it. He did screw up, he's only human but he's also one half of an idiot and inevitably idiots screw up. She just so happens to be stuck with the two biggest idiots on the West Coast right now.

He snorts, "Everything was going so well, how could I have screwed up so monumentally in such a short time period?"

"Talent?"

His head slumps forward as he groggily glares at her before closing his eyes and letting his head fall back, "I'm an idiot."

If she truly was his therapist she'd be quite proud of the progress he was making this evening, "Yes you are."

"So what do I do?" He asks helplessly.

"Stop being an idiot." She states.

"That simple, huh?"

"That simple." She was going to leave it there, honestly, but as has been pointed out she isn't a naturally silent person, "Peggy was moving into one of Howard's penthouses with Angie the day you asked her out for drinks, she couldn't exactly move back to The Griffith after what happened."

His head snaps up to look at her and he's about to start speaking before she holds up her hand, she's started, she isn't stopping, and clearly this is how her master plan is going to start out. Even though she had absolutely no foundations for a master plan to begin with. Evidently she's just going to wing this whole thing.

"You aren't the only one that complains to me, and if you let on that you heard this from me I won't hesitate to hit you over the head with that crutch, but I've been fielding calls for you from her for months. She wasn't blowing you off and she was waiting for you to ask her out again before you tucked your tail between your legs and went all self-loathing and decided you were just going to run away rather then stick it out. I know you got a promotion and good for you because you deserved some recognition and did the right thing by accepting it, but you used it as a means of escaping, and leaving Peggy like you did? Yeah chief, that makes you the biggest idiot out of the two of you."

"Yeah," he sighs heavily.

He places a hand on her knee and she steadies him with her own as he stands, righting his crutch with her other and watches as she drains the last of the alcohol and starts collecting his things.

"Trust you to not sugarcoat anything." He says as he walks her out of the building, waiting for her to lock up so he can walk her to her car.

"You're welcome." She replies happily.

-

She comes to understand that she may have underestimated Violet upon their first introduction - because bless this woman - she notices the glaringly obvious feelings that Sousa's harbouring towards Peggy.

They're sitting in a bar around the corner from the office, Violet and Rose perched on stools as they watch the other agents mingle and converse, some having had a few too many drinks already and surround the pool table making quite a racket. But that isn't where the women are focusing, rather the only two agents who've barely touched their drinks and are sitting rather close in a booth in the far corner, clearly very interested in what the other has to say.

Rose hears the woman next to her sigh, and she feels for her, she does, because she's been in her position once or twice before and she knows how awful it feels to be someones second choice. It hurts. But what hurts worse - for her anyways - is that this lovely, angel of a human being is being hurt by one of her friends, who by all accounts has tried to do right by the nurse. She's frustrated at the situation that these two have dragged others into, her friends having failed to realise that by trying to move on with other people when they were still so obviously hung up on each other, they were hurting the one's they were supposed to be loving.

They were idiots. But as she's pointed out they're her idiots. And dammit they were her responsibility.

-

In the weeks that follow, Violet comes by the office less and less frequently, the last time she does she sits with Rose for a good hour, talking idly and rolling their eyes at the poor, struggling actors who come in looking hopeful for their next paycheque.

As the last two performers drag their feet out the door, Rose - in all her delicate Rose-ness - broaches the subject that they've been dancing around, "So... You see it too?"

"Yeah, wasn't too hard to figure out to be honest."

"For government employees they aren't very subtle." She says as she takes a bite out of a cookie.

"No they most definitely are not. Seems like the typical 'everyone but them sees it'," the nurse replies, placing her cup down on the table, "don't get me wrong, when we first started dating I got the impression it was a temporary thing, but that doesn't stop this from hurting any less."

Rose hands her a box of kleenex and smiles sympathetically, "It probably won't make you feel better but he really did care, he wanted this relationship to work out."

"I know," she laughs softly, sniffling, "I don't think we'll ever truly be out of each others lives, but the suspense is really starting to kill me, I've been waiting for him to end the relationship for weeks now."

Rose grimaces, "I don't think he knows how, I know you don't particularly want to break the man's heart, but I think you're going to have to be the reasonable one and end it."

"Yeah," Violet sniffs, "I was afraid you'd say that."

-

The days that followed, Peggy and Rose were walking on eggshells around Daniel. His fuse becoming shorter and shorter until one little screw up with the lab techs sent him into a frenzy. He spent twenty minutes chewing the poor guy out until Peggy had finally had enough and practically hauled him out of the lab by his arm, depositing him in his office and walking out to find Rose.

"What's going on?" She demands as she walks into the front room and sits in a chair in front of Rose's desk.

"Got no idea what you're talking about, Peg." Rose replies, not bothering to look up from the report she'd been in the middle of reading.

There's a silence, and eventually she looks up to find Peggy levelling her with what the office has already come to know at 'the look', the one that has hardened criminals twice the size of the agent sweating in interrogation before she can even utter a word.

Rose is good, but she isn't immune to such a look. She sighs, "Violet broke things off."

"What?" She has the decency to look alarmed but she can't hide the light that immediately started glowing in her eyes again. Rose knows for a fact that the woman hates herself for it.

"It was time, his heart wasn't in it and she deserves someone that'll love her unconditionally." She shrugs, focusing again on her report and effectively ending the conversation.

She hears Peggy get up, listening as her heals clack on the hardwood floor all the way to the back room, then the swish of the cabinet door opening and closing.

She fails to see how two grown adults can act like such teenagers.

Oh right, yes. Idiots.

-

Peggy had been shot.

Not a graze, not a flesh wound, but an honest to God through and through shot.

The office had gone into a panic which had Rose somewhat surprised. Peggy was a woman, and although she was the most capable agent in the room (despite her idiocy regarding other matters) she'd faced a new crowed and a new wave of sexism. When Rose had left New York everyone was just starting to come to terms with the fact that Peggy Carter could outwit and outmatch each and every one of them, but here, the only thing stopping her from being relegated back down to office coffee girl was Chief Sousa. She thought an incident like this would cause outrage about female agents and that she wouldn't be allowed back into the field (not like they could stop her), but instead everyone had been outraged that one of their own had been injured, the second the call came in all agents started running about, collecting coats and hats and making for the nearest exists to go and process the scene.

When she finds Daniel in his office after everyone had left he's surrounded by piles of what could only be described as debris. Papers were everywhere, the filing cabinet was a heap of beat up metal, dings and dents from where his crutch had hit it, his typewriter had somehow made it to the floor as well as just about everything else on his desk and he's standing in the middle of it all, chest heaving, hair out of place and falling into his eyes. He was the living embodiment of rage.

"What the hell happened?" She asks, slightly too afraid to step into the room.

"Dottie finally found her." He growls.

She closes her eyes and heaves a sigh. Of course she did, because if anyone could sneak up on one Agent Peggy Carter it'd be Dottie Underwood.

"Is she..." She couldn't even finish the sentence.

"Jarvis called before all this," he waves his hand dismissively around the room, "happened. She's out of surgery, it was a through and through, no vital organs hit just blood loss, he's with her now, she'll make a full recovery and no doubt be back in here this time next week. Dottie's good, she doesn't miss. The shot wasn't meant to kill Carter it was a message."

"What kind of message is a bullet?"

"'I'm deranged'?" He shook his head, "I don't know but she has a terrifying attachment to Peggy."

They stand in silence as they look over the damage that Daniel had done before he collapsed back into the couch, holding his crutch out in front of him.

She decides that now would be a safe time to make her way over but still kept her distance, "She's out of surgery, right?"

"Yeah," he replies.

"So go see her."

"Family only." He tells her, not bothering to look up.

"She has no family in the country let-a-lone the state, and if Jarvis is able to get through I'm sure you can," she informs him.

She can't believe that one of her idiots almost died today.

-

In the end they both go to the hospital, and find themselves in a room full of people waiting to see the injured agent. As it turns out, Howard flew Angie and Thompson across from New York, the latter looking pissed at the whole situation and a little uncomfortable about the crying brunette sitting next from him. Angie was a silent mess, every time she looked as though she'd stopped crying she'd blink and her face would crumple, starting the process all over again. Next to her sat Ana Jarvis, only having met her once before, the woman looked elegant and poised, handing Angie tissues every now and again and rubbing her back reassuringly, giving her space but also sitting close enough just in case.

When they heart two lots of footsteps walking towards them, every one stilled before standing, looking towards Jarvis and... Violet?

"She's awake." Jarvis announces, continuing to walk straight towards his wife and wrapping her up in his arms.

"She's pretty sore about the whole thing, mentally and obviously physically," Violet informed them all while smiling kindly, "she'll have a few days of recovery, but she's done with field work for at least a few weeks. The doctor will be able to tell you more later." She turns to Daniel, lowering her voice to a near whisper, "She's asking for you."

Rose watches as he walks down the hall without looking back.

-

Daniel didn't come back, but one by one the small group led themselves towards Peggy's room to return later smiling slightly and looking more then relieved. When it was finally Rose's turn she made her way quietly down the hall, following the same path that she saw the others take, stopping just inside the door and melting at what she saw.

It was as though he couldn't get his chair close enough to the side of the bed, he was facing the door but angled towards Peggy and dripping her hand like a lifeline as he held it against his lips, smiling as she spoke quietly to him. It'd be almost picturesque if the smell of disinfectant wasn't in absolutely every crevice of the room.

She clears her throat, thinking that she'll warn them before intruding on what was obviously a private moment, but Daniel didn't let go of her hand, in fact it was as though he had no idea she had entered the room. Peggy slowly turns her head towards the door and smiles in welcome as Rose made her way over.

"Hello," she whispers, probably not noticing that Daniel still hadn't taken his eyes off her.

"Hey Peg," Rose sits down on the opposite side of the bed, squeezing the other woman's arm gently before changing her soft voice to a stern one, "don't do that again."

She laughs, one that was mostly just a huff and was over before it began, "I don't plan to, it was rather an unpleasant experience."

"I imagine it would've been."

They sit there for a few more minutes, talking idly before Peggy let out a rather undignified yawn. Rose gets up to leave, squeezing the agents arm once more, "Get better soon, contrary to what Thompson believes, the SSR cannot survive without you." She cuts a quick look towards Daniel before winking at Peggy, turning to walk out the door.

What happened here today obviously hadn't occurred in any plan she had ever even though about conjuring up, although she had a general idea about the kind of trouble her friends faces whenever they walked out the door she sometimes forgets about the dangers that their jobs entailed.

But whatever happened here today better have been the kick to the head that these two needed.

-

True to her stubborn self, Peggy Carter walks into the office two weeks before she's due back, looking fearless and lethal in her ensemble. It takes all of thirty seconds for Chief Sousa to make his way out of his office and the shouting match to begin. The other agents quickly find other places to be as the two go head to head in what will probably be an argument for the history books as everything they've bottled up is laid bare.

Rose is slightly annoyed that she didn't think to whip up a batch of popcorn as she sits at a far desk and watches. Yes it was terrible that her friends were fighting and yes she was worried about the both of them, but she honestly couldn't find a better way to spend her lunch break.

" _You were_ shot!" He tries to stress the significance of the situation by adding emphasis to the word.

"I know, I was there." She replies, her voice growing louder with each word, her control slipping.

"You have two weeks left, you have  _paid_ leave, normal people would be soaking up the sun and getting as much rest and recuperation as possible."

"I'd like to feel somewhat useful when getting paid, not sitting around doing nothing, and if I wanted  _normal_ I would have chosen a different career path."

"Dammit Peggy go home, we've got this."

"She's after me, and I'll be damned if I let anyone else get shot because of that woman's personal vendetta." Her voice goes up another notch.

"Dammit Carter, the last thing I need is you tearing your stitches and having another two weeks off because you  _just couldn't help yourself._ " If he was able to, Rose would take a guess and say he'd be stomping his foot like a four year old right about now.

"Contrary to what you, or Thompson or the rest of this office believe, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I'm here to work _Chief_ Sousa."

They stare at each other, and this is the moment where Rose - if she had any - would be shovelling more and more popcorn into her mouth, because the air is alive with electricity bouncing back and forth between the two of them. Their eyes locked, breathing laboured, those who're left have given up acting as though they're doing paperwork to witness their chief and the somewhat new female agent glare daggers at each other.

If this whole government agent thing didn't work out for them they could still bring in a lot of money working on the big screen. The chemistry was ridiculous.

Then something that she was absolutely and completely unprepared for happened, later she'd be totally unaware of when she started smiling, all she'd know is that she wouldn't be able to stop, not for a long while anyways, but Daniel had reached out towards the strap of Peggy's handbag that was around her shoulder and hauled her to him, his lips slanting over hers as she grabbed onto his shoulders for balance. What followed was a relieved collective sigh from the room, returning to their work as the two most superior agents in the room continued to indulge in one another.

-

After what everyone now refers to as the 'bullpen incident', she watches as night after night they leave arm-in-arm, smiling at each other like the sun shines out of both their rear ends. Rose is lucky she's a romantic as she's sure anybody else would find it sickening. Each night she smiles and says her goodbyes and each morning they meet her as she parks her car and they walk in together.

They case closure rate catches up to the New York office until it eventually surpasses and they get a slightly annoyed phone call from Thompson asking if he'll ever get his best agent back.

"I guess you didn't get the transfer papers that were sent out to you," Rose rolls her eyes into the phone.

"Oh, that's what they were?" He asks, "Tell Peggy she might want to send over some new ones, I think I finally worked out what I wrapped last weeks leftovers in."

She knows she's toying with her, she can hear the smirk over the line but she rolls her eyes harder still, and three days later Jack grudgingly laughs as he opens the brand new transfer papers with sticky notes outlining where he needs to sign.

Her idiots pulled through, she thinks. They did good.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated. Thank you much-ly.
> 
> tumblr: @renegade-es


End file.
